am confident that _the timber trade is inimical_
to _the best interests of the Canadas_; it would be possible to make the
timber trade more beneficial than any other pursuit in the country, and
the way to render it so would be to give immense protecting duties to
the timber trade of Canada, allowing all other articles of produce to be
open to general competition; but, by such a course, England would not be
benefiting _Canada_."

_Q_. "Can you state the average prices of wheat at Quebec the last four
or five years?"--_A_. "I think 5 shillings or 6 shillings. Canadian
currency; the latter rate is equal to 5 shillings sterling, which is 40
shillings a quarter; but I do not suppose an average of several years
would be over 4 shillings, 2 pence, that would be 33 shillings, 4 pence.
There are peculiar circumstances that attended the last three or four
years."

_Q_. "Has it been higher the last three or four years than the three or
four years previously? _A_. Considerably higher than the ten years
previously."

_Q_. "Do you think 30 shillings a quarter would have been the average
of the ten years preceding?"--_A_. "I should think so, but I cannot now
speak positively."

_Q_. "Are the committee to understand it to be your opinion, that if
the timber establishments were broken up and no more timber exported
from Canada, there would be no loss to that country?"--_A_. "There
might be an immediate loss, and a _very great subsequent gain_. I think
there would be an immediate loss attending on the mills, possibly
150,000 pounds to 200,000 pounds."

_Q_. "Has it not been the fact that there has been a constant and
gradual increase of tonnage into Quebec for the last fifteen
years?"--_A_. "Yes."

_Q_. "Presuming that those establishments were to be broken up and no
more timber exported, do you think that gradual increase would still
continue?"--_A_. "No; the first consequence, I think, very possibly
would be a very material decrease."

_Q_. "Subsequently the _same tonnage_ would be required for the
_carriage of corn_ as at present?"--_A_. "Some years hence, for corn
and other articles."

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Note 1. The following description of the iron mines at Marmora are
worthy the attention of the reader. It is from the engineer who was
sent to survey them.

"To Isaac Fraser, Esquire

"The water power at Marmora, and its sufficiency for all hydra